


You Are Not Alone

by phantomthief_fee



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gender-Neutral Frisk (Undertale), Mute Frisk (Undertale), Papyrus is wiser than anyone gives him credit for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 05:02:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20334514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: When you singlehandedly save an entire race at the age of ten, it's hard to figure out where to go from there. Unfortunately, that's the situation Frisk finds themselves in.





	You Are Not Alone

Frisk hadn’t done a whole lot of planning about their life. They’d been about ten when they’d fallen into the Underground, and honestly? They were pretty sure becoming the Savior of all Monsters was probably going to be the highlight of their life. Now eight years had passed, they were 18 and in their last year of high school, and they had no idea what they wanted to do with their life. Asriel had already graduated and was going to school to become a game designer, and Chara had discovered they had a passion for writing. Which left Frisk. They had to decide what they wanted to do now. Did they want to stay the Ambassador of Monsters? Asgore and Toriel had told them that they didn’t have to stay the ambassador if they didn’t want to. It was a lot of responsibility after all. Part of them did want to continue that work. Their presence helped make the public less afraid of monsters. But it **was** a lot of responsibility. It was an incredibly stressful job for someone so young. They just weren’t sure what they wanted to do.

Frisk groaned, staring at the college applications laid out on the table before them. The deadlines for submitting the applications were coming up and they needed to get it done…But they’d been procrastinating doing it as much as they could. They knew Toriel was starting to get a little worried because Asriel and Chara had been sending them messages asking if they were alright. It was all just so daunting…

“Frisk! I’m here for our cooking lesson!” They jumped a bit when the front door was slammed open and Papyrus barged in. Frisk swore internally. They’d forgotten that Papyrus was coming over. There wasn’t enough time to hide the unfinished applications.

“Frisk?” Papyrus entered the kitchen, tilting his head to the side when he saw the papers spread out across the table. Frisk waved weakly. Papyrus frowned, striding up to the table.

“What is this? Aren’t the deadlines for these applications coming up?” He said, picking up a few of the papers. Frisk nodded, hanging their head.

“They are. I’m just stuck.” They said. It had been an interesting experience teaching the monsters sign language. They’d picked it up incredibly fast, and Sans had even said that they’d known someone who used sign language. 

“Stuck? In what way?” Papyrus turned his attention back to them, placing the paper back on the table. Frisk hesitated, their lips twisting as they tried to figure out a way to tell Papyrus what was wrong without making him worried.

“I don’t know what I want to do.” They finally said.

“What do you mean?” Papyrus’ frown deepened. Frisk frowned as well, fear gnawing at their stomach. There was no way around it. They were going to have to tell Papyrus exactly how they were feeling. It would be fine, right? Papyrus was the most understanding person they knew. He’d understand. But what if he didn’t? Everyone expected Frisk to be mature. They’d freed the monsters when they were only ten. They had to be mature. They should know how to do this. They shouldn’t be so afraid.

“Frisk?” Papyrus knelt in front of them. “Are you alright?” His expression had become concerned. They’d been silent for too long apparently.

Frisk took a deep breath to steel themselves, then began to shakily sign. “I don’t know which college to apply to because I don’t know what I want to do with my life.”

Papyrus was silent for a moment or two before smiling softly. “I see.”

“Is that bad?” Frisk asked. “Chara and Azzy didn’t have any trouble figuring out what they wanted to do. Why am I having so much trouble?”

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling that way, Frisk,” Papyrus assured them, putting a hand on their shoulder. “You do not need to know who you want to be at this age. You are young.”

“But Azzy and Chara-” Frisk started to say, but Papyrus gently stopped their hands.

“You shouldn’t compare yourself to others, Frisk.” He said. “Everyone is different and does things at their own pace.” Frisk nodded, glancing back at the applications on the table.

“I’m scared.” They admitted. “What if I never manage to do anything with my life? What if I decide on one thing but change my mind?” They were starting to hyperventilate a bit, all their anxieties bubbling up in their chest.

“First of all, you are most certainly allowed to change your mind. After all, I did!” Papyrus gave them a big smile. “I wanted to be in the royal guard for most of my life, but when we got the surface I couldn’t do that anymore. Do you remember that?”

“…Yeah.” Frisk nodded.

“Do you think** I** did something wrong by changing my mind?”

“No! Of course not!” Frisk said immediately.

“Then there is absolutely nothing wrong with you changing your mind later in your life.” Papyrus tapped their nose. “If humans are anything like monsters, you will probably change a great deal throughout your life. It’s only natural that change will likely result in you deciding you’re unsatisfied with what you are doing and pursuing a different path. And we will be here to support you if that happens!” Frisk couldn’t help but smile. It was hard to feel bad about yourself when Papyrus was around. 

“Thanks.” They said.

“You are very welcome!” Papyrus stood up and put his hands on his hips. “It is my duty as the Great Papyrus to help all who are in need!” He let out his signature laugh, posing like some kind of comic book superhero. Frisk giggled, their smile widening. Papyrus’ expression softened at Frisk’s laughter.

“It’s okay to ask for help if you need it.” He said, letting his arms fall at his sides. “We’ll always be there for you.” Frisk stared at him, their mind returning to that moment eight years ago when they’d led the monsters out of the Underground. They hadn’t been sure what the future would hold for them, but they’d known that they wouldn’t have to face it alone. When had they forgotten that their friends would always be there for them?

“Frisk? Are you and Papyrus still here?” Toriel’s voice came from the front of the house as the door opened.

“We’re in the kitchen, Miss Toriel!” Papyrus called out. It had taken quite a bit for him to stop calling Toriel ‘Queen Toriel’, but he’d managed it in the end.

“Are you two having fun?” Toriel walked in carrying a few bags of groceries. She paused when she saw the applications spread out on the table.

“Hi, Mom.” Frisk smiled sheepishly. “I think I need some help.”

“Of course, my child.” Toriel returned Frisk’s smile with one of her own. “Let me put these away and I’ll see what I can do.”

“I’ll help!” Papyrus said, kneeling to inspect the contents of the bags so he could determine where they went.

Once the groceries were put away, Toriel sat down at the table with Frisk. Papyrus had departed, saying something about needing to make sure Sans was getting out of the house.

“What is giving you trouble, Frisk?” She asked.

“I don’t know what school to apply to because I don’t know what to do with my life,” Frisk said. They tensed a bit, waiting for Toriel’s reaction.

“Is this why you haven’t completed the applications yet?” Toriel asked. “You’ve been worried because you don’t know what career path you want to take?” She looked concerned, but not angry. Frisk breathed an internal sigh of relief.

“Yes.”

“Oh, my child.” Toriel smiled sadly, reaching out to put her hand on Frisk’s. “There’s no need for you to have everything figure out right now. From what your siblings have told me, most college students don’t know what they want to do.” She withdrew her hand, starting to pick up papers.

“You should pick a school where you feel comfortable.” She continued. “A place where you feel you’ve found your people.”

“Did Chara say that?” Frisk asked with a small smirk.

“They might have.” Toriel raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her features. “But I think it’s a good sentiment. Now, let’s see if we can find a place where you’ll feel comfortable.” Frisk smiled to themselves as Toriel pulled out her laptop, put on her glasses, and began to type in the names of schools. They weren’t alone. They were never alone. Maybe they wouldn’t have this whole life thing figured out right away, but no matter how long it took, their family would be with them. That was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Based heavily on my own experiences from the end of high school.


End file.
